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Select committee: Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Safeguards for proper Government decision making inquiry

Closed Opened 1 Feb 2018 Closed 1 Feb 2018

Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗

Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
In its report on the Lessons Still to be Learned from the Chilcot Inquiry the Committee recommended that in the future: "There should be a mechanism of written Ministerial direction, similar to that used by Departmental Accounting Officers, reflecting the responsibility of the Cabinet Secretary and other senior officials to ensure that proper procedure is followed as set out in the Cabinet Manual." This was to ensure that important decisions, such as whether to take part in the invasion of Iraq in 2003, were more likely to be subjected to robust and informed scrutiny within Government through the process of formal consideration by the Cabinet and its committees. The Government failed to address this recommendation in their response to the Committee's report, and so the Committee has decided to carry out a further inquiry on these issues.

Where it stands

The inquiry is closed, opened 1 February 2018.

The committee has published 1 report, most recently 4th Report - Ensuring Proper Process for Key Government Decisions: Lessons Still to be Learned from the Chilcot Inquiry on 29 May 2018.

The government's response

Published 13 September 2018.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government agrees that correct processes are needed to support good decision-making, but has "concluded that it is not necessary" to add a formal direction procedure for collective responsibility.

  • The government "agrees it is necessary that the correct processes are in place to support good decision-making" and "recognises the need to keep these processes under review".
  • On the Cabinet Secretary's role, it says the Cabinet Secretary can put advice to the Prime Minister on any apparent breach of collective responsibility, and it is then "for the Prime Minister to decide the appropriate action".
  • It "considers that there is an important distinction" between the Cabinet Secretary's advisory role and the Accounting Officer's ministerial direction process, which is "necessary given the Accounting Officer's direct accountability to Parliament".
  • On the Cabinet Manual, it states it has "already committed to update it", with no date given. When revisions are "actively considered", it expects Ministers "will want to consider views from Parliament", including PACAC.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Reports

All reports

Recent activity

Reports

1 report